Holy Cross (Künten)
The Heiligkreuz Church is the Roman Catholic parish church of Künten . It was built in 1964–1965 according to plans by the architect Walter Moser .
History and parish structure
The predecessor building of today's Heiligkreuz church was a chapel , which over time was lengthened forwards and backwards and thus expanded into a small church. In 1865 a tower was added to the church. Since the mother parish in Rohrdorf was quite large and the population of Künten and Sulz was increasing, the Bishop of Basel , Leonhard Haas , appointed Künten together with Sulz as an independent parish on February 25, 1901, separating it from its mother parish in Rohrdorf.
Since the space available in the little church was again too cramped for the growing congregation after the end of the Second World War , a church building commission was set up on April 4, 1954. This first clarified whether it would make sense to enlarge the old church again or whether a replacement building would have to be built. Various reports, which were commissioned between 1954 and 1961, showed that, on the one hand, another enlargement of the previous church was no longer justifiable and, on the other hand, the location of the old church proved unsuitable for a new building. On September 8, 1961, the parish therefore approved the proposal to build a new church on the slightly elevated Chratz area . A construction competition was then held, in which the Corona Dei project by architect Walter Moser received first prize. On September 2, 1962, the parish approved the further development of the project and on September 25, 1963, the parish approved the money needed for the construction. On December 13, 1963, the electorate also decided to build a new cemetery complex to the south of the church. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on November 24, 1963 . On April 12, 1964, Canon Schnetzler consecrated the foundation stone and on March 28, 1965 the bells for the new church. On May 30, 1965, the Bishop of Basel, Franziskus von Streng , came to Künten and consecrated the newly built Church of the Holy Cross (actually: Exaltation of the Cross ).
Today the Künten parish is part of the pastoral area on the Rohrdorferberg.
Building description
Church tower and exterior
The Heiligkreuz church built by Walter Moser rises to the west of the village center on an elevated site. In addition to the church, the building ensemble consists of the parish center built below it, a free-standing bell tower and the rectory . The white facades in front of the dark forest behind highlight the church when viewed from the town center, the positioning of the building on a small hill and the upward-stretching facade also create the impression that the church is growing out of the site. Both are wanted, it symbolizes the motto of the project: Corona Dei (“Crown of God”).
While Walter Moser provided the bell tower of St. Joseph's Church in Aedermannsdorf SO with a roof that rises parallel to that of the church, in Künten the pent roof of the church and the roof of the tower are rotated 90 degrees to each other, so that more dynamism is created. In contrast to the other towering buildings, the rectory was designed in a simple and rural style, so that it forms the transition to the village development of Künten. A wall connects the bell tower with the church, similar to what Moser did with the church of St. Christophorus in Wangen an der Aare. This creates a forecourt , which on the one hand serves as a viewing terrace with a view to the south, but on the other hand can also be used as a meeting place for burials in the cemetery. In bad weather, the covered vestibule in front of the church is also available for funeral celebrations .
A five-part chime is built into the bell cage, which consists of two older and three newly cast bells . The older bells come from the previous church and until then had been part of a four-part chime. For the new church, the two bells with the chimes f 'and as' have been redesigned. The company H. Rüetschi carried out this renovation and cast the new three bells on November 17, 1964 in Aarau.
| number | Weight | Chime | dedication | Casting year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2485 kg | it | Trinity | 1965 |
| 2 | 1455 kg | f | Brother Klaus | 1965 |
| 3 | 946 kg | as | Redeemer | 1905 |
| 4th | 990 kg | b | Mother of God | 1866 |
| 5 | 424 kg | ? | Guardian Angel | 1965 |
As a special feature, the Way of the Cross of the Church of the Holy Cross is not, as usual, in the church itself, but in the outside space on the wall between the bell tower and the entrance portal of the church. The panels were created by Alfred Huber (1908–1982). The Way of the Cross is formed by 15 reliefs on which the figures are depicted with expressive gestures. Vertical, oblique and horizontal lines are rhythmically repeated on the panels, lending dynamism to the Way of the Cross.
Interior and artistic equipment
Building description
The polygonal church offers 430 seats and its floor plan is based on a transverse rectangle. However, if you ignore the adjoining rooms or are in the church itself, it gives the impression of being built on the floor plan of a square . At the northern boundary of the room, where a corner would be expected due to the basically square floor plan, a transverse wall is built in, which in this way becomes the back wall of the choir room . The line of sight between the main entrance of the church and the choir is on the diagonal of the square. This gives the room a dynamic that is enhanced by the pent roof rising towards the choir.
The pews are divided into three segments and aligned in a semicircle towards the choir, which takes up the communion idea of the liturgy constitution of the Second Vatican Council . The surrounding wall is staggered towards the choir and allows daylight to enter from the east only through narrow but high windows, which remain hidden from those sitting in the benches. On the west side, on the other hand, there are clearly visible windows that contain stained glass by Max Rüedi (1925–2019). Since the church renovation, the choir wall is no longer white, but painted gold, which underlines the dignity of the chancel. The floor , which is covered with clay tiles, forms a contrast to the ceiling, which is covered with wooden strips .
Sculpting work
The liturgical places were made by Alfred Huber. The people's altar is created as a long, horizontal block, which symbolizes its dignity. The front of the altar, like that of the altar of the Church of St. Joseph Aedermannsdorf, also created by Huber, contains a stylized host and a chalice , symbols for bread and wine, in which Jesus Christ is present at the Eucharist in the midst of the assembled community. Next to it are the words of Jesus Christ's institution report during the Last Supper : "Take it, this is my body, and eat it all." (Mt 26, 26)
The ambo is set up on the left side of the choir , which is sharp-edged and inclined at the opposite angle to the church roof. The hand of God depicted on it points downwards and forms a giving gesture, which indicates that the word of God is a gift to people. The baptismal font on the right side of the chancel has the basic shape of an irregular octagon . Christening robe , candle, fish and Christ sign are carved into the sides as symbols of baptism .
Alfred Huber used regional Mägenwil shell limestone for all stone carvings . The image of Mary is made from another stone : It is a stone from the white stone area , which emphasizes the special importance of Our Lady for Catholics. This is also indicated by the position of the representation of the Mother of God in the choir: at an elevated point between the baptismal font and the tabernacle . Like the Way of the Cross, the tabernacle case is made of bronze . The front side shows the Lamb of God with the seven seals (Rev 5), which recalls the promise of Christ: "Whoever eats this bread will live forever." (Joh, 6, 58) In terms of form and structure, all liturgical places fit harmoniously into the church and form a unit.
Stained glass window
The three stained glass windows address the church's patronage , the exaltation of the cross. At the same time, Max Rüedi depicts on these stained glass the path of life that leads people to God . He was inspired by the preface of the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross in the Catholic liturgy . There it says: “In truth, it is worthy and right to thank you, Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Eternal God, always and everywhere. For you founded the salvation of the world on the wood of the cross. From the tree of paradise came death, from the tree of the cross life arose. "
The first window shows the tree of knowledge as well as the snake, which snakes down from it and in its mouth carries a fruit of this forbidden tree to the people. The temptation of man, which leads to the expulsion from paradise and ultimately brings man to death , that is the theme of the first window (Gen 3)
In the second glass picture Jesus Christ can be seen carrying the cross to Golgotha . The other figure that can be seen in this picture and that helps Jesus carry the cross is, according to the Bible, Simon of Cyrene (Mt 27, 32). In the depiction of this figure on the glass window, however, it is noticeable that, unlike Jesus, this helper wears modern clothes (trousers, a plaid shirt). This is, on the one hand, as a reference to Jesus' words: "Whoever wants to follow me should take up the cross and follow me." (Lk 9:23). On the other hand, this portrayal of a contemporary person shows that Jesus calls all people to live charity concretely in their respective times and to stand by and help others in need.
The third window is under the highest one and shows the raised cross to which the church of Künten is dedicated. You can see a cross in the middle. It is not the Good Friday Cross because it is empty. In return, leaves and flowers sprout from the wood of the cross, a symbol of the resurrection of Christ at Easter and at the same time a sign of the afterlife that all baptized can hope for. Above the cross is the eye of God on the left and the dove of the Holy Spirit on the right . Together with the cross there is thus a representation of the Trinity . It is noticeable that Max Rüedi did not design the Holy Spirit dove with white panes, as is usual, but in red-tinted glasses. This creates parallels to images of the phoenix bird , which in turn stands as a symbol for overcoming death and for eternal life .
organ
The Späth Orgelbau company from Rapperswil built today's instrument for the Heiligkreuz church in 1967–1968. This was inaugurated on March 24, 1968. The instrument has 21 stops on two manuals including a pedal . A special feature was that the mechanical action initially showed threads as abstract . This construction method proved to be fragile, so that the thread action was replaced in 1982 by the usual construction made of wooden lamellas.
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literature
- Parish Künten (Ed.): Our church stands and lives. Künten 1965.
- The artistic jewelry of the Holy Cross Church in Künten. In: Art and Stone. February 1966 edition, pp. 3–9.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Richard Etterli: We look back. In: Parish Künten (Ed.): Our church stands and lives. P. 14.
- ↑ Hans Meier-Kuhn: Our building history. In: Parish Künten (Ed.): Our church stands and lives. Pp. 2-4.
- ^ Section Pastoral Room Website of the Pastoral Room at Rohrdorferberg. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ↑ Hans Meier-Kuhn: Our building history. In: Parish Künten (Ed.): Our church stands and lives. P. 4.
- ^ Walter Moser: Thoughts on architecture. In: Parish Künten (Ed.): Our church stands and lives. P. 6.
- ^ Paul Imbach: All bells ring. In: Parish Künten (Ed.): Our church stands and lives. P. 12.
- ^ Alfred Huber: The liturgy in stone. In: Parish Künten (Ed.): Our church stands and lives. P. 8.
- ↑ The artistic decoration of the Holy Cross Church in Künten. In: Art and Stone. February 1966 edition, pp. 3–9.
- ^ Walter Moser: Thoughts on architecture. In: Parish Künten (Ed.): Our church stands and lives. P. 6.
- ^ Alfred Huber: The liturgy in stone. In: Parish Künten (Ed.): Our church stands and lives. P. 8.
- ↑ The artistic decoration of the Holy Cross Church in Künten. In: Art and Stone. Ed. February 1966, pp. 3–9.
- ↑ Preface on the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Site of the Beuron Archabbey. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ↑ Max Rüedi: The cross in the colored windows. In: Parish Künten (Ed.): Our church stands and lives. P. 10.
- ↑ Catholic Church Heiligkreuz in Künten AG. Organ directory Switzerland and Liechtenstein . Retrieved August 9, 2019.
Coordinates: 47 ° 23 '25.3 " N , 8 ° 19' 34.9" E ; CH1903: 667 026 / 249217